Pasquale Maggio

1921 - 2016

Pasquale G. Maggio

May 26, 1921 - September 22, 2016

Pasquale Maggio, 95 years old and a long time San Francisco resident, died at home on Thursday evening, September 22, of renal failure.

He was born in Zoagli, in the region of Liguria, to Ester Solari and Vittorio Maggio. Pasquale grew up in S. Ambrogio, a small village, perched in the sunlit, terraced mountains overlooking the Bay of Tigullio with his sisters, Caterina and Louisa. His childhood home would forever remain engrained in his heart and in his view it was "heaven on earth." There would be no other place that would fuel his soul and imagination as much as S. Ambrogio. For many years, he would always return in the summers to visit with family and friends and to enjoy the summer festivals that took place in the area. In 2011, he spent his 90th birthday in Italy with his closest friends and family. It would be the last time he would visit his homeland.

Pasquale married Teresa Barattini in 1943 and had children, Maria Rosa in 1944 and Angelo in 1947. In 1956, he immigrated with his family to Lodi, California to work the fields in his uncle's vineyard. His daughter, Julie Ann, was born in 1958. In 1959, he brought his family to San Francisco, taking a job as a garbage collector with Sunset Scavengers. He worked with Sunset Scavengers for 27 years before retiring in 1986. He was a lifetime member of the Monte Cristo Italian Social Club in San Francisco.

Pasquale took a deep interest in the world and enjoyed many hobbies. Along with his wife and a few close friends, he would often pick mushrooms in California and in typical Italian fashion would never tell anyone when he found a particularly great spot to find them. Pasquale deeply loved his garden, growing peas and fava beans in the spring and tomatoes, zucchini and basil in the summer. He was deeply connected to the rhythms of his garden, keeping a watchful eye on it and always knowing what his garden needed. In the fall, he would drive to Lodi to his cousin's vineyard to collect the Zinfandel grapes to make his own wine, passing along that rare art to his grandsons.

Pasquale was predeceased by his son Angelo Maggio (d: 2008), and is survived by his wife Teresa Maggio, daughters, Maria Rosa Rolle and Julie Ann Maggio; son in-laws, Richard Rolle and Steve Collupy; grandchildren, Paul Rolle, Christine Damico, John Rolle, Michael Rolle, and their spouses, Lisa Rolle, Joe Damico, Renee Rolle and Elisa Rolle. He is also survived by nine great grandchildren, Vanessa, Nicholas, Ricky, Annie, Dominic, Jack, Jacob, Alessandra and Dario. In Italy, he is survived by his sisters, Caterina Maggio and Louisa Maggio and his many nieces, nephews and cousins.

The visitation at 5pm, followed by the rosary at 7pm will be held for Pasquale on Wednesday, September 28 at Valente Marini Perata, 4840 Mission Street in San Francisco. The funeral mass will be held on Thursday, September 29 at 10am at St. Elizabeth's Church, 459 Somerset Street. Interment will follow at the Italian Cemetery, 540 F Street in Colma.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to your favorite charity.